The State of the Union may look a little lighter than in years past. Many prominent GOP members are boycotting Biden’s address due to strict COVID precautions, including proof of a “daily negative health screening inventory” and mandated “KN95 or N95 masks.”

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) was one of the first to share the news after receiving the list of safety measures required to attend:

“Below is the #CovidTheatre rituals required to attend the State of the Union,” Rubio wrote. “No thank you, maybe next time.”

Marco Rubio
@marcorubio
Below is the #CovidTheatre rituals required to attend the State of the Union

No thank you, maybe next time

Breitbart is now reporting Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) will also be skipping the speech because of extraordinarily strict coronavirus measures in place for the event. Failure to comply with the measures comes with a warning: “failure to follow guidelines or removal of the mask in the House Chamber will result in the attendee’s removal from the event and/or fines.”

Freedom Caucus chair, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), condemned the event’s coronavirus rules, but has yet to confirm if he will be attending or not. “The arbitrary and capricious rules set forth are nothing short of farce and political theater meant to deeply divide and further distract from a president who just never fails to fail.”

Conservative News Daily
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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said Tuesday he does not plan to attend President Joe Biden’s first State of the Union address, happening in one week, because of extraordinarily strict coronavirus measures in place for the event....